Nail-clenching machine.



.PATBNTBD JULY so, i907. J. A. MILLIKEN.

NAIL GLENGHING MAGHINE.

APPLIOATION FILED APB. 6. 1904.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Tm: Nonms PE-rsrzs ca, wAsmNcfoN, n. c.

110.861.382. PATENTBD JULYso,19o7.

. J. A. MILLIKEN.

NAIL GLENCHING MACHINE. APPLIQATION FILBD'APB. a, 1904.

a suns-SHEET z.

\\\\\\\mmm"mmmmmm y www No. 861,382. PAT'BNTED JULY so, 1907.

' JxA. MILLIKBN.

NAIL GLENGHING MACHINE.

APrLIoATIoH Hmm Arme, 1904;

' a snnvnTs-sms'r a.

v4 c. ma Namels PETERS co., wAsmNcraN,

JOI-IN A. MILLIKEN, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

NAIL-CLENCHING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 30, 1907.

Applicants flied April e, 1904. serial No. 201,937.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, JOHN A. MILLIKEN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the borough of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Nail-Olenching Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in nail clenching machines; and the object is to provide means for effectually clenching the nails uniformly without creating back pressure upon the-plungers, which would cause them to spring away from the nail head or cause the nail to bend in the material into which it is driven.

A further object is to provide means for attachment to a nailing machine, so connected and timed with respect to the nailing operation, that the nail or nails will have passed some little distance through and beyond the lower surface of the material before the clenching operation will have commenced.

lith these objects in view my invention consists in certain novel features of construction and combinations of parts which will be hereinafter described and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a side view of a portion of a nailing machine, showing the clenching mechanism applied thereto, and in section, Fig. 2 is a plan view of the clenching device, Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section on line 3 3 of Fig. 2, Fig. 4 is a similar section on line 4-4 of Fig. 2, showing the same arrangement of parts, Fig. 5 is an elevation taken from the opposite side, FigfG is a cross section on line 6G of Fig. 3, 'showing one position of the clenching device, Fig. 7 is a similar section showing the opposite extreme position of the parts, Fig. 8 is a side view partly in section of my clenching block, showing the nails partly driven through the boards, and just prior to the clenching operation, Fig. 9 is a similar view showing the nails driven through and partly clenched, and Fig. l() is a similar view showing the nails completely clenched.

A, represents the base or bed of my improved clench,- ing device, it being adapted to rest upon a suitable support, such as the table T, of anailing machine. This bed is preferably of H-shape in cross section the web a/ being provided at one end with a slot a2 therethrough, as shown in Figs. 6 and 7. A clenching block l, steel faced or otherwise surface hardened is arranged to reciprocate at predetermined intervals in a straight rectilineal direction, upon the base or bed A, where it is confined against lateral movement by the sides 2, 2, between which the clenching block is fitted. The clenching block rests upon the web of the base, the block being of an inverted U-shape in cross section and of-less width than the space between the sides 2, 2 of the base.

' block l.

At each side of the clenching block the cam plates 3, 3 are either secured or integrally formed, the latter construction being shown in Fig. l, the cam plates located in the spaces between the clenching block and the sides 2, 2 and these cam plates each have a plurality of cams ll, 4, usually about three in number on their upper edge. the clenching block l and the sides 2, 2, and above the cam plates 3, 3, are the work supporting plates 5, 5. These plates 5, 5 are thus laterally confined Fitted to the space between.

between the sides 2, 2, and the clenching block l.

They are likewise confined against longitudinal movement by th'e over-lapping plates 6, 6, securely bolted at the ends of the sides 2, 2. Supporting plates 5, 5, are provided with cams 7, 7, on their lower faces which correspond with cams 4, 4, and the function of which cams is to cause supporting plates 5, 5, to alternately rise and fall at timed intervals incident to the back and forward motion of the clenching These supporting plates hold the material through which the nails are driven, and in order to resist any tendency of the boards supported thereon to slide, the teeth 8, 8 are provided, on the supporting plates, such teeth projecting in the opposite direction from the movement of the clenching block during the operation of clenching the nail or nails.

The movement of the clenching block is in a perfectly straight course, it being supported throughout its entire movement by the track formed by the web a and the sides 2, 2, of the base, and it is moved back and forth at timed intervals by the crank l0, keyed to the rock-shaft ll, journaled in the base and this rock shaft is actuated through the medium of a rod 12 extending from the plunger cross head 13 of the nailing machine to the wrist pin 14 on the rock shaft l1. The crank extends through the aperture a2 in the base and is slightly enlarged and rounded at its free end and receivedlbetween the depending lips of of the clenching block al- 1 though it is obvious that some other connection might be made.

The arrangement of the parts is such that the nails are driven nearly their full length, and have entirely passed through the board or boards before the clenching commences, as shown in Figs. l and 8, the supporting plates being in their eXtreme elevated positions to retain the'work at a point some distance above, the clenching block which latter occupies the position shown in Figs. 3, 4, 5, and 8. By the time the point of the nail or nails reaches the clenchingpblock, as shown in Figs. l and 8, the latter begins to move forward or to the right, the plungers l), P, continuing to drive the nails downward, and the first half of the stroke of the clenching block causing a lateral bend or partial clench of the points of the nails during the Afinal stroke of the plungers, turning the points all in the same direction as shown in Fig. 9, while at the same time by maintaining the initial distance between the stoel( and the clenching block, preventing back pressure upon the plungers. After having reached this position the nal movement of the parts results in the descent of the supporting plate until the stock is brought flat upon the clenching block, the plungers following the heads of the nails downward, and the clenching block iinishng its stroke thereby imparting the iinal clench to the points of the nails, as shown in Fig. 10. After having reached this position the parts return to their normal positions7 in readiness for a repetition of the operation,

Frein the foregoing it will be observed that the nails are never driven directly against the clenching block; that thenails have been driven nearly through the stock before the block is reached, and by the time their points arrive at the surface of the block, the latter' has begun to move forward, thereby deflecting the point of the nail and curling or bending it under, and when the nal cleneh is given the nail is moved bodily toward the clenching block and the block is simultaneously traveling forward, thus disposing of the point end of the nail, by a lateral pressure thereon without at any time creating a back pressure upon the plungers. In

this way, the plungers are relieved of strain absolutely7 and prevented from rebound, which in other constructions hitherto has caused them to spring away from the head oi the nail and which has resulted in an imperfect clenching of the nail, with no assurance whatever of uniformity in operation or results.

It is evident that slight changes might be resorted to in the form and arrangement of the several parts described without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention, and hence I do not wish to limit myself to the exact construction herein set forth, but

Having fully described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent,'is:-

1. A nail clenching machine comprising vertically movable supporting plates upon which the stock rests, a movable clenching block which is confined in its movement to a rectilinear direction at right angles to the movement of the supporting plates, and means extending from one of said parts to the other whereby the motion of the clenching block in one direction operate to gradually reduce the space between the stock and clenching block While the latter is continuing its cndwise movement so that the pi'otruding points of the nails are bent in a uniform direction approximately at right angles to the portion of the nail re# maining in thc stock.

2. A nail clenehing machine comprising movable stock supporting plates and a movable clenching block, and means for simultaneously moving said plates and block in directions at right angles to each other.

3. In a nail clcnching machine, the combination with a base or body, a clcnching block having a straight endwise movement on the base or body, said block carrying a plurality of cams thei'eon, and means for imparting a reciprocating endwise movement to said clenehing block, two supporting plates on which the stock is adapted to rest, said plates having cams adapted to be operated upon by the cams on the clenehing block whereby as the latter is movingl endwise, the supporting plates are raised or lowered,

4. In a nail elenching machine, the combination with a movable clenching block, movable stock supporting plates, and connections between said block and said plates constructed to cause said plates to move in a direction at right angles to the line of movement of said block, of punches, a cross head for operating and controlling the punches and means extending from the cross head to the clenching block for transmitting motion to the latter, the

. movement of the elenching block and supporting plates being so timed with respect to the punches that the points of the nails driven by the latter are caused to protrude a predetermined distance through the stock before they reach and are operated upon by the clenehing block, after which they are simultaneously driven the remaining distance through the stock and bent laterally at their points` 5. The combination with a base or bed, and vertically movable supports guided therein, of a clenehing block, means for moving the latter in a horizontal plane, and means connected with the clenching block for moving said supports in a vertical plane.

G. The combination with a crossihead and punches or plungers, of clenching mechanism comprising a clenching block moving in a horizontal plane, and vertical movable supports, the clenching block having means thereon which actuates the supports and means for actuating the cross head and clenching mechanism at timed intervals.

7. 'lhe combinationwith a nailing machine provided with a plunger, of a suitable base having a track formed thereon, a clenehing block of less width than the track r'eccived thereon, cams carried by and projecting laterally from cach side of the block and filling the space between the block and the sides of the track, the cams being olf` less height than the height of the track, Work supporting means received between the block and the sidesAof the track and having cams thereon in position to be engaged by the cams on the clenching block and means for actuating the clenehing block.

S. The combination with a cross head, punches or plungers carried thereby, and means for actuating the cross head, of a elenching block movable wholly in a horizontal plane, movable supports controlled by the movement of the block, and means for communicating motion from the cross head to the clcnching block.

0. The combination `with a'nailing machine, of a clenchingl mechanism, comprising a base, a clenching block longitudinally movable thereon in a horizontal plane, vertically movable work supporting members actuated by the block and means engaged by the members for preventing any endwise movement thereof.

10. The combination with a nailing machine, of a clenching mechanism comprising a suitable base, a elenching` block receivable on the base, means for moving the block in a horizontal plane, movable stock supporting plates, connections between said block and said plates constructed te cause said plates to move in a direction at right angles to the line ot the movement oi said block, and plates carried by the hase and engaging the ends of the work supporting members to prevent endwise movement thereof.

In testimony whereof, I have signed this specication in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

' JOHN A. MILLIKEN Witnesses z C. H. MILLIKEN, H, C. LOHMAN. 

